Project Passat Pt. 2

Easy Install My A$$!!!




For those of you that know me well, you know that I love my cars. One of the reasons that I dig cars as much as I do is because you can make them extensions of you. Plain and simple. From the interior to the exterior no matter what. Seats, steering wheels, dash kits, rims, paint etc. The list goes on and on.

Well I found that some modifications are easier than others. If you go back to some of my blogs last year you will see that I switched out my head lights and taillights. Well about that same time I wasn't really feeling the wood grain (cause I really am not the wood grain type). So I scoured the internet looking for carbon fiber dash kits that were REAL carbon fiber. Real carbon fiber has a deep almost 3D when its flat look to it. Also it isn't cheap.

Well after finding and purchasing my Silver Carbon Fiber interior trim kit and receiving it in the mail I tried a few test fits in the car. Well during the test fitting process I came to realize that the wood was not at all for show. No decals here. These were actual pieces. So I couldn't try and cover the wood with the carbon fiber cause that would look tacky as all get out. So I set out on a quest to find all of the wood grain pieces in my car in all black. Surely they make them right?????

Well here it is a full year and $200 later and I have finally finished. What you are about to see loses EVERYTHING in translation. What it took me to get from Wood to carbon is a story in itself however I will spare you all of that and just post a few pics of the old vs the new look.

I personally love the new look. That's my thing though. Some of you might dig the wood grain (prudes, lol) It was just too common and boring all at the same time. I felt like I was inside of a casket half of the time sitting in rush hour traffic.



Enjoy!

The Point of Diminishing Returns

I will be the first one to say that sometimes I am a very overly optimistic person. With that being said I have to ask at what point you say “that’s it”. What is your breaking point? This is an especially difficult ordeal for those of us that feel that we can indeed make a difference no matter what the odds. We are the few that are very good at what we do and cannot accept no for an answer however we also have to be realistic.

With anything worth having in life you will have the issue of Risk vs. Reward. Everything worth having in this world also requires an investment. It can either be an investment of time or money but an investment never the less. Now what you have to do is decide how much of an investment you are willing to put in. I mean I have had a few revelations in the last few months that have made me really take a look at my mortality. I had plans this summer to compete in a few bodybuilding competitions. Well in my quest to be the best I was working wayyyyy too hard between training and my day job and was injured. Now at my age recovering from injuries isn’t anything like it used to be with a few weeks of therapy and I am up back on the horse. I have to determine now if I should cut my losses and take my licks or focus more on training other individuals and live vicariously through them. Do I really need to compete to validate my status as a damn good trainer? That’s the question along with at what point do I know that no matter what I do I will not see the returns on the investment.

The problem is I kinda feel like Brett Favre, where I feel like I still have what it takes. In my mind I just need the time to heal. The other problem is that Bodybuilding is by no means a cheap endeavor either financially, spiritually or emotionally. It takes a serious toll on those around you as well. Everything that you do for that 16-20 week period leading up to the competition date revolves around that ONE day, where you will be on stage for the world to see. Your social life is turned upside down. During competition prep months one can easily spend $700 - $800 a month on food, supplements and training gear. So again I ask the question………….where exactly is the point of diminishing returns? Do I go by how easily it is to get an injury or do I wait till I see myself in a financial funk due to the economy?

I was never raised to be a quitter and I am a very resilient dude. If I fall I get back up. If I am wounded I heal. If I get beat at anything I train harder and come back with a vengeance. This is new territory for me for sure. Not knowing the meaning of the words CAN’T, QUIT, FAIL or DEFEAT can be as much of a curse as it is a blessing and I know that now.

So now I am faced with one of the hardest decisions of my life. I have to seriously evaluate EVERYTHING that has to deal with my livelihood and quality of life. After that I can then tell exactly what is The Point of Diminishing Returns.